ChinaxReader: Fortune Once A Week {REQUEST}

ChinaxReader - Fortune Once A Week

I shivered as the cold wind once again blew over the street, seeming to enjoy freezing me slowly. As I struggled with my bag of books from the local library, I looked up to see what street I was on.

My place was still a few blocks away. Shivering, I nuzzled my chin into my scarf. I’ve lived with Mei in this city for a few weeks now, but still haven’t gotten used to the cold that seems to seep through every layer of clothing I was wearing. How did she convince me to live here with her? It’s so cold. And I was the one who had to get the books for our studying from the library, just because I had the library card.

As I shuffled on the sidewalk, the glorious scent of food reached my nostrils. I turned to find the source of the food, and found myself next to the Chinese restaurant I had passed several times in the past. Another gust of wind blew over the street, making me stiffen up and shiver. Now was a better time than any to defrost and get some dinner.

I slowly opened the door and was met with a warmth that filled my entire body and made me sigh a little in happiness. I looked around the little restaurant, smiling a little to myself.

It was like any other little restaurant, but trying in vain to become a Chinese establishment. The normal subdued wallpaper was covered in cute little pictures and other decor. There was a little buddha statue on the floor to my left, as well as one on the counter next to the register in front of me. The place had mostly vinyl booths and tables, matching most of the homey atmosphere. Soft oriental music was playing over hidden speakers, mixing with the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen behind the register.

While I was observing the restaurant, a little older lady came over from behind the counter and smiled up at me.

“For one?”

I smiled back at her, hearing the thick Chinese accent she had. I nodded and she led me to my own booth somewhat close to the other customers.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Just tea would be great!” I take the menu from her, watching her go back to the kitchen, where I could see inside of, slightly. I glanced over at the other people in the restaurant.

One old man was reading the newspaper, with nothing more than a cup of tea in front of him. A woman was eating with a young child, teaching him how to use the chopsticks.

I looked back over the menu. I’ll get Mei some take-out, so she won’t be angry at me taking so long on the trip back. She likes microwave take-out and fortune cookies. She says it makes studying easier when you don’t have to worry about making food.

“Have you decided what you like, aru?”

I looked up. It wasn’t the old lady standing by my table, but it was a guy that looked a little older than myself. He had his long, dark hair tied up in ponytail that hung over his shoulder. He was wearing a red jacket with long flowing sleeves. The jacket went down to his knees, being more of a robe than a jacket. He was wearing white, loose pants, which surprised me. How did he keep them white in a restaurant? His amber eyes looked down at mine when I finished looking at his outfit, and his gaze seemed to warm me up, even though I had barely been inside for a few minutes.

“Miss, have you decided what to order?”

“Oh! Um...” I glanced back down at the menu, noticing he had placed a small teapot and an empty teacup in front of me. “Would it be alright if I order one thing for here and another thing to-go? For my friend at home.”

“I’m sure I can do that for you.”

“Okay...I guess she would like this Yeung Chow fried rice, and I’ll take {Chinese food of choice}.” I folded up the menu and handed it back to him, trying not to meet his eyes.

He left my table and spoke in rapid-fire Chinese to who I guess was the chef, in the kitchen. The chef seemed to argue something back, making my waiter shake his head with a small “Aiyah.”

I tried to hide my smile, but a small giggle escaped my lips. The waiter must have heard it, as he turned to look at me with a confused expression. I immediately stopped and turned my attention to my bag of books, double checking that I had all the thing Mei asked for.

A few minutes later, the waiter came back out with a large plate of my order and a smaller plate to eat from. He handed me a pair of chopsticks and a fork wrapped up in a napkin. I smiled a thank you to him and grabbed the chopsticks.

The food was amazing! I was a few bites in when my phone rang. I grabbed my phone and checked the number. It was Mei’s.

“Hello? Mei?”

“{Name}? Where are you? Did you get lost on the way back?” Mei’s voice came in from the phone as quiet as always.

“Sorry Mei. I decided to get some dinner for us. I got you take-out and I’m eating in.”

“Oh, that Chinese place? I’ll come and get you! I’m bored, and you have my books!”

“How about I get this take-out and we finish at home? That way, You won’t have to wait too long for your books.”

“Kay. I’ll meet you there in a few.”

Mei hung up and I tossed my phone in my bag. I looked around and flagged down my waiter as he was passing by with a teapot on a little tray.

“Yes, miss?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but my friend is wondering where I am. She wants me to get home. Can I get a take-out box for this?”

The waiter smiled down on me. “It’s fine. I can do it myself in the kitchen, aru.”

The waiter grabbed the almost untouched plates and carried them back into the kitchen. I grabbed my wallet and the large bags of books and made my way to the front cash register. The waiter met me there, placing take-out boxes into a bag, and tying the plastic bag shut.

“The total is twenty-two dollars, aru.”

I got out the money needed and handed the bills to him. As I picked up the bag, I looked back up at him. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Wang Yao. You can just call me Yao, aru.”

“Okay! Oh, my name is-”

“{Name}!” I turned around and saw Mei at the door, breathing heavily.

“Mei, did you run here?”

“Yep. Come on, let’s go! I’m hungry and I left my movie on pause.”

Mei dragged me and my bag of take-out out the door, barely giving me enough time to wave good bye to Yao.


{Travel time skip~ Brought to you by Corvo~}

Back at the house, Mei brought out the utensils for us as I got cups for the drinks. We both settled down on the couch near the television and settled down to eat. Mei unpaused the movie she had kept on and grabbed the container of her fried rice.

“Why did you go to that Chinese store today? I was worried about you.”

“Sorry Mei! I was getting hungry and it was freezing cold outside! Why couldn’t you pick up the books?” I asked, grabbing the container of my own food.

“It’s your card. Besides, you walk the neighbor’s dog every day. You should be used to the cold,” She answered, taking a bite of her food. “Wow, this is really good.”

“I don’t walk down as far as the library. And it’s not really dark and windy most of the time.”

Mei sighed, taking a drink of her water. “I’m sorry. You walk faster than me, and we did have a slow start to the day because we slept in from shopping yesterday. Not my fault there are less hours of daylight now.”

I shrugged and reached into the bag to grab the plain rice container. As I pulled it out, something hit the table through the bag.

“What was that?” Mei asked, leaning over the bag.

I reached in the bag and grabbed what made the sound. I pulled out a fresh fortune cookie. “When did this get in here?”

Mei leaned over to look at the cookie. “Open it!”

I cracked the cookie in half. I pulled out the little paper, before realizing there were two little papers in the fortune cookie.

“You got lucky! What does it say?”

I pulled the two fortunes apart and read them aloud. “This one says ‘You have a striking beauty.’ And this one says ‘Could I get some directions to your heart?’”

Mei giggled. “Your fortune cookie is hitting on you! I wonder who it’s from.”

“You think it’s from someone?”

“Of course! Think about it. There was only one cookie, freshly made, and you were the only one that sat in the restaurant. {Name}, you caught someone’s attention.”

I blushed and grabbed a pillow next to me, smacking Mei lightly with it. She giggled back, and soon, our dinner was forgotten in favour of a pillow fight. That is, until our neighbor came by and told us we were laughing and squealing too loud and the walls between apartments wasn’t as thick as we think.


{Several Days Later}

I was walking back from the library again. This time, I was also bringing as application for a library card for Mei. It was early in the day this time, so I didn’t have to worry about it getting colder with the sun setting. It was still freezing though. Mei had told me it was supposed to snow soon. Luckily, I didn’t have a large pile of hardcover books this time. Mei only asked for a few to supplement the facts on the paper she was working on.

Once again, as I was passing a certain restaurant, I smelled something delicious. I looked around and saw it was the same Chinese place I went to earlier. While I was deciding whether or not to go in, my phone vibrated. I dug through the book bag till I found my phone with a new message on it.

~From: Xiao Mei
{Name}, my work called. I need to cover a three hour shift today. I’ll be back by dinner, but I won’t have any time to cook. Would you want to cook, or are you going to grab some takeout? -Mei

~To: Xiao Mei
I was just passing the place with the take-out. I’ll grab you some when I’ve defrosted again and head home.

I barely had to wait a minute when a reply came.

~From: Xiao Mei
Leave before the sun sets, please. I don’t like you walking in the dark. I brought my flashlight, but I don’t think you have your’s with you.

~To: Xiao Mei
Yes mother~. Don’t worry. Our amazing neighbors watch out for us. If it seems dangerous, I’ll walk to Liz’s house and wait there until your shift is over. Then we’ll pick you up and head home in a group. Does that sound good?

~From: Xiao Mei
I just worry. You’re still not used to walking the city at night. It’s not very safe. If it’s dark, please head to her place. She’s only a block away from the Chinese place if I remember correctly. I’ll see you in a few hours then. I need to run now.

~To: Xiao Mei
Stay warm and be careful Mei!

I slid the phone back into the book bag and smiled. Well, seems like it’s time for tea. I walked up to the restaurant and opened the door, once again being engulfed by the heat trying to seep through the cold layers of clothes I had.

I barely had to wait a few seconds before a familiar face came up.

“Yao! Nice to see you again!” I smiled at him as he walked up to me, a menu in his hand. “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself before my friend dragged me away. My name is {Full Name}. But just call me {Name}.”

“Ni-hao, it’s nice to see you again, {Name}! But it’s a little early for dinner, isn’t it?”

I glanced around the restaurant. Other than the older lady who had seated me yesterday, only one other person was in the store, and both were reading a newspaper. I shrugged. “It’s better than walking home, and then walking all the way back in the dark. I promised my friend to grab some take-out, have a snack, then wait for her at our friend’s house. She doesn’t like me walking around.”

“She worries about you, aru?”

“Yeah. I haven’t lived here for very long, so she watched out for me.”

Yao looked like he was planning on saying something, but someone yelling from the kitchen interrupted him. He yelled back in rapid Chinese. When he finished and sighed, I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.

“{Name}?”

I held my hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it. Isn’t he the same one who yelled at you last time too?”

Yao turned away, but I swore I saw a bit of a blush on his cheeks before I couldn’t see his face anymore. “Yes, he was.”

“What did he say?” I asked, tilting my head.

Yao turned back at me. When his eyes locked with mine, he turned completely red. “Oh, um...He said that I should seat you instead of talking to you like you’re my girlfriend coming to visit.”

That time, it was my turn to blush. “Oh, I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from work.”

Yao motioned around at the empty restaurant. “What work? I’ve cleaned the place twice already. It’s a slow day, aru.”

“Well, then, maybe if you’re bored, could I have some tea to help warm me up? It’s freezing outside.”

“Dāngrán {Name}. This way.”

Yao led me to the same booth I was sitting at before. He left the menu on the table and went to get some tea. I didn’t open the menu, but waited until Yao came back with a teapot, as the teacup was already set on the table.

“Yao, you should join me. Keep me company.”

Yao stuttered slightly in replying. “I don’t know if I should...I’m at work, aiyah!”

I smiled and motioned around the restaurant as he had done earlier. “What work? You said it yourself, it’s a slow day.”

Yao still looked uncertain, but slowly sat down across from me, taking the second teacup resting on the table. I took off my gloves and scarf, pouring tea for the both of us. I warmed up my hands around the teacup.

“What do you want to talk about, {Name}?”

“I don’t know. Let’s see. How old are you? And how long have you been in this city?”

Yao took a sip of his tea before putting his hands in the sleeves of his jacket. “I’m twenty-five years old, but people joke around saying I’m four thousand, because they say I act like an old man. They’re the children, aru.”

I was taking a drink of my tea, but his comment made me laugh out loud, making me choke on my tea a bit.

“Are you okay? Aiyah, I’m sorry!”

I waved it off. “It’s okay. It made me laugh!”

Yao calmed down and took another drink of his tea. “I’ve lived in this city for the past seven years. I first visited this city when I was ten, and then moved here when I was eighteen, to explore the world more. The lady here took me in and gave me this job.”

“Where were you born?”

“Beijing, China. Now, your turn to answer the questions.”

I stretched my arms over my head and leaned back into my seat. “I’m a student at the university. I’ve only been in the city since the beginning of the semester though. I transferred schools since the one in this city has a better program for me. Mei is a year younger than me and in her second year. She’s been in this city most of her life. And I was born in {Hometown}.”

“How did you meet your friend, aru?”

I scratched my head. “Well, she didn’t want to go to the school in this town. So she went to my middle school. Even though she was a year younger, she was in my gym class. We were running laps, and she wasn’t doing very well. I slowed down and gave her encouragement to keep her going. Since then, she’s been glued to my side. Even followed me to high school. But I went to a community college to save money, and she came straight here. Then, she told me transfer in, because the program here is really good. We have an apartment together.”

“Where is she from?”

I froze. Since Mei was from Taiwan, and Yao was from China, how they would react to each other. Mei often watched the news to see how the relations between China and Taiwan were going, and she held no fondness of the former because of it. I looked down at the mug of tea on the table.

“Well...Um...She’s from...Taiwan. Born and raised until she turned nine, when her family moved here.”

Yao looked like he wanted to punch himself for asking that question. The atmosphere was now very awkward between us. I glanced up at him a few times, and he kept looking at the painting over our table, seeming very interested at it.

“Sorry, Yao.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked. Aiyah! Wǒ shìgè báichī!”

Since I didn’t know much Chinese, as Mei mostly spoke Mandarin in a dialect she picked up from her grandparents, I didn’t know what Yao was saying. The chef in the kitchen seemed to find it hilarious though. His loud laughter echoed through the place before the older lady yelled something at him (presumably something along the lines of ‘shut up’).

“So, Yao, do you have any interests?”

He seemed grateful I changed the topic. “I love cuisine. Food is very important, aru! If I’m honest, I would say I like cute things. And I am also fond of art.”

“Do you cook some of the food here?”

“Yǒushí. I’m mostly in charge of the smaller sweets, desserts, and such.”

I remembered what Mei said yesterday. “Like fortune cookies?”

“The lady does those herself. She watches me closely if I’m making them. In the morning, we often write the messages ourselves.”

“Oh.” So was my cookie just luck? That’s the way it seems. Oh well.


{Timeskipping~}

Yao and I talked for a good hour until my stomach growled loudly. He brought me my food, and I was able to eat it in the restaurant. We talked during my meal as well. By the time it was already dark, we were good friends and knew a good deal about the other. I got my take-out, along with some treats Yao asked me to try out for him. I took the plastic bag from him and said my goodbyes.

Outside, it was freezing again, and I missed the warm tea already. I jogged to Elizabeta’s place a few minutes away, and knocked on the door. Since she had been my best friend for years, she dragged me inside, not letting me tell her anything before I was relaxing on the couch. We caught up for a few minutes, and were thinking about watching a movie when Elizabeta’s boyfriend walked into the room.

“Oh, hello Roderich.”

“Good evening, {Name}. How are you?”

“I’m fine. I just came back from the Chinese place down the road. It’s amazing!”

“Did you get a fortune cookie?” Elizabeta asked. She loves the idea of treats and toys in food. Fortune cookies are her favourite thing about going out to eat.

I looked into my bag. Sure enough, there was a fortune cookie lying in the bag. I didn’t even see Yao give me one. I broke the cookie in half and saw the fortunes in it.

“I got two again...”

“You must be really lucky {Name}! What do they say?”

“It says...Oh my...”

“What?”

“It says ‘Your smile is a treasure to all who know you.’ That’s...”

“It’s true!” Elizabeta leaned over and hugged me, smothering me in the blanket she had wrapped over her shoulder. “You have such a cute and amazing smile!”

“What does the other one say?” Now, even Roderich was interested, listening to us as he was helping himself to a piece of cake.

I struggled with getting the second fortune with Elizabeta smothering me in a hug, but I soon had it in front of me. “This one is just as sweet!”

“Let me read it!” I handed it to Elizabeta, who read it to Roderich. “It says ‘Beauty surrounds you because you create it.’ That’s poetry! Who gave you this cookie?”

“I didn’t see him put it in the bag, but Yao is the only person I know by name in the store. We met the second time today, and we’re already good friends. He’s a nice guy.”

“Maybe he’s crushing on you!”

“What?” I squeaked out.

“{Name}, you are a very pretty girl. The only reason you don’t have a boyfriend is because you are working too hard. I wouldn’t be surprise if this boy is writing these notes for you because he’s too shy to tell you in person.”

“But he said the older lady makes the fortunes. How would he know which ones he’s giving me? And how would he get two notes in the cookie with the lady watching him?”

Elizabeta didn’t have the answer for it. She shrugged, handed me back my fortune, and turned on the TV to watch a movie until it was time to pick up Mei.


{The Next Day}

My alarm clock threw me out of dream world. I glared at the time, and threw the alarm to Mei’s bed, muting the sound slightly, but scaring Mei out of sleep. I rolled off my bed and onto the floor, laying there until Mei grabbed my hand and worked on dragging me into the living room for food.

After a quick breakfast and shower, Mei migrated to the second bedroom, which we had turned into an office, to fully focus on our school work (It was much smaller than the other bedroom, and would have been unfair to whoever was supposed to sleep there).

I got dressed in warm clothes and pulled on a hat and scarf that was hanging near the door. I grabbed my messenger bag from the kitchen table before pulling on my boots and opening the door.

“See you after I walk the neighbor’s dog!” I called to the back room towards Mei.

“Be careful!”

“I’ll be fine!” I closed and locked the door behind me before I walked a few doors down, reaching the busy neighbors whose dog I walk every morning when I don’t have school (and every evening when I have classes). As I knocked on the door, I already heard his excited barking and his owner’s attempts at calming him down. The door opened, and I see the man fumbling with his tie.

“Ah, {Name}. Good morning.”

“Good morning sir.” I walked inside and as the man got ready for leaving for his job, I worked on putting the dog, named Mochi, into a harness and leash. It took only a few minutes, and the man and I left his residence at the same time. He climbed into his car and I started walking up the hill, Mochi running ahead of me, on the extending leash.

The walk was the same as always. I whistled or hummed to myself as Mochi ran ahead, sniffing each bush we walked by. That was, until I saw a similar ponytail on the man walking in front of me.

“Yao, is that you?” I walked faster to catch up with him.

Sure enough, it was Yao, and he turned around, looking surprised. “{Name}? Ni-hao. What are you doing?”

I held up the extendable leash. “Walking Mochi. I do this every morning. What are you doing?”

“Sunday. Restaurant is closed, aru. Decided to walk around and get exercise.”

“I see. Care to join me and Mochi?”

“Shì de.”

So, Yao and I walked several blocks with the dog. We talked almost as much as we did yesterday during dinner. While Yao was talking about some of the meals he likes to cook, I looked him over. He was wearing different clothes than what he wears in the restaurant. He was wearing a slightly long, green, army-inspired jacket with matching dark green pants. A complete change from flowing red jackets.

“Do you walk him every morning?” Yao asked suddenly.

“Of course. His owners don’t have time since they both suddenly got long hours at work. I walk him in the morning when I don’t have any classes, and in the afternoon when I have classes. I get extra spending money. They pay well for an hour every day.”

“I might join you when I have tim-” Yao stopped and suddenly sneezed.

I giggled. “Maybe you should join when it get’s warmer too!”

Yao was blushing, but as I continued giggling, he also smiled.

An hour went by quickly, and I had turned around to walk Mochi back home. “I should get going. I have homework.”

“I won’t slow you down then. See you soon?”

“Yeah. See you soon!” I waved goodbye to Yao as we went our separate directions. I reached Mochi’s place again and reached into my coat pocket to get out the key I have for dropping off and picking up Mochi if both owners are gone. I froze when I felt something unusual. I pulled out what it was and found it was a fortune cookie. I laughed out loud in disbelief. When did he slip this into my pocket? I didn’t notice!

After I got back home, I collapsed in the comfy chair I used in the office. I cracked the cookie and took out the fortune. There was only one. ‘Have a beautiful day.’ I stared at it before I broke down in a fit of giggles.

“{Name}? Are you okay?” Mei asked, sliding off her headphones in confusion.

I wiped away the tears I had shed from laughing so much, and nodded. “I’m fine.”


{Timeskip several weeks~}

Christmas came and went. So did the snow Mei predicted, as well as finals. My room now had a box filled with fortunes from cookies. Once a week, without fail, I would either get take-out, convince Mei or Elizabeta to eat in, or meet Yao for a walk. I was now certain he was the one who was leaving me fortunes like ‘You have a friendly heart and are well admired.’, ‘You have a magnetic personality.’, and my favourite, ‘Sometimes a stranger can bring great meaning into your life.’

Even though I was certain it was Yao, and I knew I was falling in love with him, I never told him I knew. I didn’t know how to do it. Mei and Elizabeta tried to give me advice, but I could never do what they suggested. Even Roderich tried helping, but he was less helpful than the girls. Mei spent her free time helping me think of ways to tell him, but I didn’t feel like I would be able to tell him. I liked our relationship the way it was.

But time is always moving and changing, and one day, when the Chinese New Year was approaching, I found myself running to the Chinese Restaurant, and to Yao, in tears. When I had burst in, Yao was close to the front door.

“Ni hao!...{Name}? Are you okay?”

When he asked that question, I burst into tears again. Yao had carefully taken my shoulders and quickly led me to my usual booth. He sat me down and grabbed me some warm tea. He poured it for me before handing me a tissue. After a while, I had calmed down, and was now holding the teacup in my hands as usual. Yao was still across from me, handing me a tissue whenever I needed it.

“{Name}? Can you tell me what happened?”

I slowly nodded. “I was in my last class of the day. We just got our tests back. I had a good score, but when I went to talk to the teacher’s assistant about a question I had gotten right, he snapped at me. Telling me that he was right, because he actually gotten the degree, and I was just a student who had a hopeless dream. When I insisted that he look at the question again, I thought he was going to slap me! He was so mad I would even consider the possibility that he was wrong. He had shoved me against the door, telling me I am going to go nowhere with this stupid dream of mine. He shoved past me, and I was just so upset...” I broke into sobs again. “I know it sounds silly, crying over this...But all my life, I only thought about following my dream, because I thought I could make it...”

Yao stood up and sat down next to me. He attempted to comfort me by rubbing my back, but I flinched and hissed in pain. “I’m sorry. My back hit some shelving when he shoved me into the wall.”

I glanced up at Yao, who looked furious and empathic at the same time. He carefully draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close to him. I grasped onto his sleeve as I cried into his shoulder. I was glad the place wasn’t very busy, so I was able to cry until I was empty. Yao sat next to me the entire time. He only stood up once, to get some tea. He brought back a kind he said would help numb the pain on my back. I was still shaking each time I lifted up the cup up to drink.

I don’t know how long I sat there. At one point, a young, expressionless man came out from the kitchen with a plate of small Chinese sweets on it. He placed it in front on me and muttered some things at Yao. I recognized his voice at one of the voices that regularly talk to Yao from the kitchen (though not the one that always yells and laughs at him), and one of the waiters. When I looked up at him, I whispered a quiet thank you to him. He didn’t say anything, but just nodded at me and went back to the kitchen without another word.

I slowly ate the sweets before me, sniffling a little bit every now and then. Yao stayed next to me for the most part. Every now and then, he had to help serve a customer, or do something in the kitchen. Whenever he did work in the kitchen, the other man came out and served customers, and checked on me every few minutes. At one point, he whispered something to the lady, who looked over at me in shock before rushing to a ‘Staff Only’ room. She rushed back and handed something to the expressionless man. He looked at it and walked over to me.

“Miss?”

I looked up. My voice hurt from crying so often.

“The old lady wanted me to give this to you. She noticed you were drinking a pain relieving tea. This is medicine teacher Yao made. It is supposed to help with bruises.”

He held out his hand and dropped a stone container that was the size of my hand. I opened it with shaking hands. A sweet scent of herbs reached my nose when I opened it.

“It’s a ointment or cream. Used for helping bruises heal faster and keep the pain away.”

I knew Yao was good at first-aid and medicine. He told me so a week or so ago. He was knowledgeable in Chinese medicine and healing techniques. I looked back up at the young man after closing the box. I wasn’t able to tell what was on his mind. His entire face was emotionless.

“Thank you so much,” I whispered. “Can you tell me your name?”

The man paused. He must have been surprised, but recovered quickly. “Most people call me Leon. You can call me that.”

“Well, thank you Leon.”

Leon nodded and walked back the lady, who was watching. He said one word to her before going back to serving customers. I had finished my plates of sweets, feeling a little better, when Yao came back out.

“Are you doing okay, {Name}? Sorry, I’m helping the kitchen with New Year’s preparation.”

“It’s okay,” I replied, my voice still soft.

“I brought you something,” Yao held out his hand to me as he sat down next to me again. I looked at what was in his hand. It was a fortune cookie.

I smiled. “So, you were the one making them all. Even in the beginning?”

Yao blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t know how else to talk with you.”

I broke open the cookie. Inside was one fortune. I unfolded it and read it. It read ‘Stand tall. Don’t look down upon yourself.’ I looked up at Yao. He nodded to the empty sweets plate. I looked down and saw a second cookie on the once empty plate. I quickly opened this one and read it. ‘Your dreams are never silly; depend on them to guide you.’ I was about to say something to him, when someone burst into the restaurant, gasping loudly for air. It was Elizabeta, with Mei right behind her.

“{Name}!” Elizabeta rushed over to me. Yao quickly got up and took my arm to help me stand up as well. Elizabeta held my cheeks in her hands. Her hands were nice and cool. I leaned into them, my eyes closing in contentment. “{Name}, hun, I was so worried! Mei came to my house, crying that she saw you run off campus. Were you crying? Are you okay? We were so worried when you had vanished.” She removed her hands after brushing some hair out of my face before turning to Mei. “Text Roderich and Feli that we found her.”

Mei looked up at me. “We had everyone looking for you. All of Liz’s friends!” She grabbed her phone and texted at lightspeed.

I was about to say something when Yao gently tapped my shoulder. Without another word, he handed me a folded up paper, one that looked similar to the ones in the fortune cookies. I unfolded it. ‘You always bring others happiness and light.’ I looked at him. He smiled down at me, before gently raising his hand and wiping some of the remaining tears off my face. I heard silence and saw Mei had stopped texting and was looking at me with Elizabeta, large smiles on both of their faces.

“There goes our plan, Mei.”

“Sadly, and I was so looking forward to trying it.”

I looked at the two of them in confusion. “What are you talking about?” I whispered.

Mei reached into her bag and handed something to both Yao and myself. We looked at it. Fortune cookies. My eyebrow raised as I looked at Mei. She motioned to us to open them, which we did. We both had two fortunes. I noticed the first had Mei’s handwriting, while the second was Elizabeta’s. I read them at the same time as Yao, and we both laughed out loud. The first one said, ‘Stop searching forever, happiness is just next to you.’, while the second one said, ‘So hurry up and confess to each other already!’

I looked up at Yao, who smiled at me. “{Name}. Wǒ ài nǐ.”

I giggled softly. “Can you confess in a language I can understand?”

Yao smirked at me for a moment before taking my chin in his hand and lifting my head up. He kissed me fully on the lips. I heard Mei give a tiny squeak of excitement, before she was able to contain it.

When we parted, Yao had a slight hint of blush dusting his face, as mine was probably red as well. “Did you understand that, {Name}?”

I nodded and Yao laughed before giving me a peck on the cheek. I heard someone clear their throat behind us, and Yao and I both turned around to see Leon there, looking very unamused.

“If you have finally confessed, and are done kissing, New Years is a few days away and we don’t have anything ready.”